Mixing device



y 16, 1961 D. J. o'coNNoR 2,984,462

MIXING DEVICE Filed Sept. 25, 1959 INVENTOR DONALD J. O'CONNOR mzz/lwhm ATTORNEYS United States The invention relates to mixing devices in general and more particularly to devices for mixing liquids containing matter which tends to settle out of suspension upon standing.

The general object of the invention is to provide a very inexpensive mixing device capable of quickly and thoroughly interrnixing liquids which, upon standing, form a sediment in the bottom of the container for the liquid.

Further objects of the invention are to provide various features of structure for assisting in the attaining of the above-stated general object. Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the drawing and from the following description and claims.

The drawing shows a preferred embodiment of the invention and such embodiment will be described, but it will be understood that various changes may be made from the construction disclosed, and that the drawing and description are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming a part of this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

- Of the drawing: 1 Fig. 1 is a plan view of an agitation member of a mixing device embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the member shown in Fig. 1 and a portion of the handle to which the member is attached.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 3-3 ofFig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of an alternative mixing device embodying the invention.

Fig. 5 is an elevational view, partly in section, illustrating the use of a mixing device embodying the invention.

As best shown in Fig. 5, the preferred embodiment of the invention is particularly adapted for use in mixing a liquid in rotatably a container that is open at the top. The liquid shown in container 12 of Fig. 5 is of sedimentary character such as house paint and the invention will be described in connection with the mixing of house paint as the invention is well suited for such use. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to use with paint and that it may be used to mix any liquids in which a sediment is likely to form upon standing.

The mixing device 13 constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a handle 14 to which an agitation member 16 is attached. The handle 14 is adapted in use to be vertically extending and is of sufficient length to substantially exceed the depth of the container 12 for the paint 10 so as to provide a portion above the top 18 of the container 12 that may be conveniently grasped in the hand of the operator so that the device may be either rotated or vertically reciprocated or rotated and reciprocated simultaneously. As shown, the handle 14 comprises a long, relatively narrow, cylindrical rod.

T atent- O The substantially planar agitation member 16 is secured to the lower end 20 of the handle 14. Any suitable fastening means may be employed and, as shown, a screw 22 is passed through a central hole 24 in the member 16 and threaded into the end 20 of the handle 14. The agitation member 16 is disposed at substantially right angles with respect to the handle so as to be substantially horizontally disposed in use.

The agitation member 16 preferably comprises a circular agitating disc having upper and under surfaces 26, 28 respectively, in which a plurality of holes 30, 32 are provided. The holes 32, 32 extend throughout a substantial portion of the disc 16 and some of the holes 32, 32 are larger in diameter than the other holes 30, 30. As shown, the holes 32, 32 are not completely, but only partially, cut through the disc 16 so as to leave substantial portions of metal which are bent downwardly. to form downwardly extending scoops 34,. 34 that are joined to the under surface 28 of the disc 16 adjacent the holes 32, 32. In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, four such holes 32, 32 with adjacent scoops 34, 34 are equally spaced near the periphery but it is to be understood that the number and positions of such holes may be varied as desired.

In addition to the scoops 34, 34 the under surface 28 of the disc 16 is provided with a plurality of downward 1y extending ridges36, 36 preferably integral with the disc 16 and formed by stamping or some other suitable method. The ridges 36, 36 are positioned adjacent the holes 32, 32 and the scoops 34, 34 and are disposed be. tween the scoops and the center of the disc with their axes inclined with respect to radial lines. When the device is rotated in the clockwise direction, the inner ends 38, 38 of the ridges are leading and the outer ends 40, 40 are trailing. Said ridges 36 are inclined with respect to the direction of rotation and they are arranged to project forwardly in the direction of rotation and generally radially inwardly from the mouths of their corresponding scoops to direct sediment to the scoops.

The upper surface 26 of the disc 16 is provided with a plurality of upwardly extending ridges 42, 42 immediately adjacent the trailing edges of the holes 32, 32 to which said downwardly extending scoops 34, 34 are adjacent. The upwardly extending ridges 42, 42 are arcuately formed and lie closely adjacent the rearward edges of the holes 32, 32. Like the downwardly extending ridges 36, 36 on the under surface 28, the upwardly extending ridges 42, 42 of the disc are preferably formed integral with the disc by stamping or some other suitable method. The said ridges 42 have gradually upwardly and rearwardly curved leading surfaces as best seen in Fig. 3 to direct sediment upwardly from their corresponding holes during rotation of the disc.

In operation, the mixing device 13 is inserted through the opening 44 in the paint container 12 and extended into the paint 10 until the circular disc 16 lies within close proximity of the bottom of the container 12 where the sediment 46 is likely to be formed. Thereafter, the device 13 is rotated and then vertically reciprocated. This combination motion of rotation and vertical reciprocation is repeated to thoroughly intermix all of the paint 10 in the container 12. It has been found that complete mixing can ordinarily be obtained by only a few reciprocations, perhaps only eight or ten.

The rotation of the disc 16 causes the downwardly extending scoops 34, 34 on the under surface 28 of the disc 16 to dig into the pigment sediment 46 of the paint 10 that has settled to the lower portion of the container 12. The scoops 34, 34 pass the pigment 46 upwardly through the holes 32, 32 to the upper surface 26 of the disc where it engages the upwardly extending ridges 42,

42 adjacent the rearward edges of the holes 32, 32. The vertical reciprocation of the disc 16 causes some of the paint to pass throughtheholes 30, 30 with aturbulent flow. that greatly facilitates the intermixingof .the paint. The solid portions 48, 48 of thedisc 16 during the vertical reciprocation of the device 13 serve to displace substantial portions of the paint lying adjacent the bottom of the container 12 and to bring them to the top of the can. This has the eifect of displacing that portion of the paint lying adjacent the top of the can and further serves to intermix all portions of the paint. The downwardly extending inclined ridges 36, 36 also engage the pigment 46 located adjacent the bottom .of the container 12 and direct it to the area of the scoops 34, 34. In this manner the major portion of the pigment 46 which has collected in the bottom of the container is broken up and scattered throughout the paint oils where it rapidly goes into suspension.

7 The ridges 3-6, 36 and 42, 42 also serve to strengthen the disc 16 and to make it m ore rigid. Additionally, the outer edge 50 of the circular disc is turned upwardly so as to ,form an upwardly extending circumferential flange that also increases the rigidity of the disc.

Fig. 4 shows another mixing device 52 embodying the invention. The handle 114 is providedwith a pair of circular discs 116 vertically spaced one above the other by the spacer 115 so as to be parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular tothe handle 114. The lower portion of the handle 114 has a reduced, diameter and the spacer 115 surrounds the last said portion. The discs 116 are identical inconstruction with the discs 16 shown in Fig. 1, but are positioned with respect to each other sothat the holes 132, 132 to which said scoopsr134, 134 are adjacent in one disc are olfset from the corresponding holes 132, 132 in the other disc.

, The invention claimed is:

1. A device for mixing sedimentary liquids comprising a container open at the top, a vertically extending handle having a length substantially exceeding the depth of the container for the liquid, and a pair-of substantially planar circular discs secured to the handle adjacent the lower end thereof and disposed in substantially horizontal planes each of said discs being provided with a plurality of holes in a substantial portion thereof and with a plurality of downwardly extending scoops adjacent at least some of said holes, said discs-being vertically spaced one above the other and positioned so that the holes to which said scoops are adjacent in one disc are offset from the corresponding holes in the other disc, at least some of said scoops having downwardly extending ridges associated therewith, said ridges being disposed between their corresponding scoops and the center of the disc and each ridge being arranged to project forwardly in the direction of rotation of the device and generally radially inwardly from the mouth of its corresponding scoop to direct sediment to the scoop.

2. A device for rotatably mixing sedimentary liquids comprising a container open at the top, a vertically extending handle having a length substantially exceeding the depth of the container, and a substantially planar horizontal circular agitating disc secured to the lower end of the handle and having a plurality of holes in a substantial portion thereof, at least some ofsaid holes having downwardly extending scoops adjacent thereto and at least some of said scoops having downwardly extending ridges associated therewith, said ridges being disposed between their corresponding scoops and the center of the disc and each ridge being arranged to project 'forwardly in the direction of rotation of the device and generally radially inwardly from the mouth of its corresponding scoop to direct sediment to the scoop, and each of the holes having associated scoops being provided adjacent their trailing edge portions with upwardly projecting arcuate ridges having gradually upwardly and rearwardly curved leading surfaces which direct sediment upwardly on rotation of the disc.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,296,663 Holden Mar. 111, 1919 1,655,447 Wait Jan. 10, 1928 2,035,333 Mills Mar. 24, 193.6 2,692,127 Conn Oct. 119, 1954 2,871,000 Dowling Jan. 27, 1959 2,898,094 ONeill Aug. 4, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 129,381 Australia Oct. 11, 1948 200,120 Austria Oct. 25, 1958 468,172 Germany Nov. 8, 1928 

